Mariners Squad - HAL 13 - 2017- 2018

[nebakke]

We should try and snag Bernie from Sydney. Has been in the bench all year. Can't be helping his future prospects. I'm sure he would want more game time.

He's still contracted to Brugge next season and they've said they wanted him back i think. So that wouldn't be cheap.

 

[Wombat]

Sorry Big Al, I was typing while you posted.

I think his future prospects are that he's wanted at Sydney unfortunately.

Sydney FC are looking to make star winger Bernie Ibini a permanent member of their squad for next season and beyond and are prepared to make an offer to sign him from Club Brugge by June.

The 24-year-old is on loan at the Sky Blues from the Belgian champions and having regained his form and fitness following a horrific injury, Sydney are hopeful of extending his second spell at the club.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/...e-ibini-from-club-brugge-20170215-gudnva.html

They hardly played him at all???? Complete lack of respect by Arnie. Come back to the Coast Bernie, we will respect you and utilise you.

 

[pjennings]

Need a new spine which is where we were weak anyway and a RW
7 of the 11 spots to fill in starting side

GK
CB
3 mids
RW
Striker

Can get via visa players and two good Aussies
Then pick up some bench depth when a couple of decent players find them selves unwanted

Gk
Storm Rose CB Galloway
DM
Mid
AM
RW Striker Pain

Bench
Bingham Ashcroft Berry McGing Trent Pearce

Need 7 strong 1st teamers IMO to be competitive

We all know one bloke who could play midfield and bleeds blue

This is spot on - which means that Okon has to be ruthless. Many of our young guys are good HAL level squaddies - not yet good HAL level players. If they are around next year they may have to settle for less game time. 52 goals conceded this year down from 70 last year needs to be needs to be trimmed down to the mid 30s. Less goals scored this year than last year. We need to find not only a goal scorer but also need to add goals from our midfield and possibly a tall visa CB.

Target for next year has to be top 4 - minimum acceptable top 6. The fans have been patient for 3 years. The nadir was last season. this season was a building block, next season we need to start being a force again.

 

[Big Al]

They hardly played him at all???? Complete lack of respect by Arnie. Come back to the Coast Bernie, we will respect you and utilise you.

Maybe best thing they did for him, slowly slowly instead of straight back in and injured again. Was suppose to be career threatening so might have given him a 2nd chance but yeah they didn't need him and Holosko

 

[Big Al]

Appish has been good . Okon has turned him into a much better player .
Has ticker , i'd sign him . His got a decent shot to

Cirio was really good for AU tonight, would be a very good signing for us, if we got him Appiah would be excess stock.

Cirio would be a major upgrade over Trent as well.

He would suit us really well, the irony is he'd be great with Roy (ah well)

 

[Wombat]

Cirio was really good for AU tonight, would be a very good signing for us, if we got him Appiah would be excess stock.

Cirio would be a major upgrade over Trent as well.

He would suit us really well, the irony is he'd be great with Roy (ah well)

Trent is signed already and has massive potential. Appiah has done well but is a dour trier in race course parlance. Very likeable but if we have signed Cirio as rumoured then he is gone.

 

[nebakke]

Very likeable but if we have signed Cirio as rumoured then he is gone.

Unless Fab is gone yeah? Might have sent him to WSW and picked another Adelaide player in return ;-)

 

[Wombat]

I was tipped that Fab and Paddy were gone a couple of weeks ago.

 

[yellowcake]

He also commented it's quite hard keeping and attracting players to CCM.

Unfortunate situation... and short memories.
Over the last decade, six top four finishes - four of those top two.
In the last four years the national team has regularly fielded at a time up to three players (of at least seven) who's senior careers started at the Mariners.

Who wouldn't want to play football with that club?

 

[pjennings]

Trent is signed already and has massive potential. Appiah has done well but is a dour trier in race course parlance. Very likeable but if we have signed Cirio as rumoured then he is gone.

Powell - who is also a right winger - is also contracted for another year.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

All spine for me, and 2 x CB's for me, one's not enough. With 1, if he gets injured ala Faty, then we are back to where we currently are. We can't be competitive with fill in CB's like we have had the last couple of years. 2 is a must.

Agree and I feel the same way about our CAM and striker. These positions above all need quality and strong competition and depth. Roy had become incumbent and without pressure. The fact Okon played him over Bingham even though he's departing and was off his game shows that Bingham is in his eyes not capable of challenging for the spot yet. Bingham is a striker not a RW. I like him. But if he's not going to be played up front he should be cut and for his own sake better off elsewhere in his natural position - there is no career ahead for him on the wing imho.

Wikipedia,
Josh Bingham
Playing position Striker
Joshua "Josh" Bingham (born 27 December 1994) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for Central Coast Mariners.

Otherwise needs to edit his Wiki

Don't agree on the RW discussion re cutting Appiah. Budgie needs to play and or continue to be developed as a striker imo. Speed is his greatest asset, you can't learn it and it is deadly in a striker. He needs to be played direct, his dribbling is sub par for a winger and in the mids he's also being out muscled. So think he's better suited and most dangerous up front.

So without Fab, I'd sign definitely sign another starting quality RW but keep Appiah. Agree with you Big Al re his touch, but he's clearly growing under Okon and has proven that he can cut it against good sides these last 6 weeks - so spoon level is not accurate I think.

With a quality ten and a more talented distributor at DM like Taveres, our wingers should be able to come into our game a lot more effectively I think.

Looking forward to the rebuild. Not unhappy with our youth. Keep Monty and fill our visa spots with quality spine players at CB DM CAM STKR and under Okon we will give it a good shake I'd say.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Powell - who is also a right winger - is also contracted for another year.

Forgot about him. Should negotiate a release imo.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Told Okon doesn't want Monty and Fab is out the door.
They wanted to keep Roy, he wanted to stay but the money he got offered was insane by all accounts

 

[shipwreck]

Based on Montys performance does anyone else think that, should the rumours be true of course, Okon Is being extremely short sighted and borderline pretty not re signing him due his influence on the dressing room?

I rate Okon, but I honestly think this will cost him the patience the fans have awarded him, it won't be long before a couple of losses turn into "we want Monty back" and eventually Okon out...

 

[nebakke]

Based on Montys performance does anyone else think that, should the rumours be true of course, Okon Is being extremely short sighted and borderline pretty not re signing him due his influence on the dressing room?

I rate Okon, but I honestly think this will cost him the patience the fans have awarded him, it won't be long before a couple of losses turn into "we want Monty back" and eventually Okon out...

I don't know about short sighted - arguably Monty doesn't have that long to go as a player but I don't understand the influence argument. If they haven't been clashing and disagreeing I'd argue that Monty's experience and influence is all asset. He doesn't strike be as the kind of guy to work against the gaffer which means he could be an obvious handy tool for Paolo to excerpt influence when he needs to be a little more subtle.
So yes - I'm thinking we can agree that letting him go seems like a mistake - and an obvious one at that.

 

[Big Al]

Based on Montys performance does anyone else think that, should the rumours be true of course, Okon Is being extremely short sighted and borderline pretty not re signing him due his influence on the dressing room?

I rate Okon, but I honestly think this will cost him the patience the fans have awarded him, it won't be long before a couple of losses turn into "we want Monty back" and eventually Okon out...

Yes and no, was right with you to start with but Monty's age plays apart but unfortunately Monty's skill set doesn't suit Paulo. I said that right at the start of the season.
I think Paulo is wrong here but let's see what he replaces him with.
I really think Monty is underrated by Paulo in what he brings to the club.

Money maybe an issue but sounds like not even getting a chance to play for less

As much a I will be very disappointed with Paulo I actually think his performance has earnt him the right to dump Monty but as you say if he buggers it up plenty will be telling him about it.

Also depends on where Paulo wants to use his visa spots

 

[Tevor]

Maybe best thing they did for him, slowly slowly instead of straight back in and injured again. Was suppose to be career threatening so might have given him a 2nd chance but yeah they didn't need him and Holosko

Bernie couldn't even walk down stairs when he returned to SFC so he definitely needed the slow approach. Look how much he has beefed up in the upper body which will make him fast and physically intimidating. Injury could have been a blessing in disguise. If he stays it will be with SFC only in IMO, he owes them a lot and I bet Brugge and pretty happy with how he will return from SFC so a good chance he might return. They want to keep Bobo and suspect Holosko may leave, wonder if he would stay in the HAL if SFC let him go.

 

[Gratis]

It's a hard one. I'd keep Monty in a flash but remembering Ange at Roar days he cut a LOT of players your average pundit would never have let go of.

Proof is in the pudding with this one

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Ange reference is a good thought GrA.

I love Monty, he still performs consistently at a high level for the HAL so I think we should keep him, and will feel inclined to hold Paolo accountable if his replacement does not perform better or equally for less coin. But nor will I wail and gnash my teeth if he decides not to renew Monty, and not big on spreading the negative and possibly damaging assumptions that it is all secretly just about Paolo's ego, because I agree entirely with Big Al that Monty is not a natural fit for Okon's style of football and like others have said so from the start. He also deserves an opportunity to shape the squad as he sees fit. It's his job, his career and he will be judged (usually very harshly) on his results.

Monty surprised me in how well he adapted, so again I want him to stay, but he is still at heart a ball winner with enormous heart, not that kind of silky smooth on the ball, one touch passer and niggler that I think Okon prefers and of course Monty's age and cost are likely working against him. These kind of decisions often feel personal. But they really don't have to be.

I'm also well up for ruthless. I, like I think a pretty solid portion of our membership have been very patient, but this season I want results, because i think we need them. I will renew till my dying day, but my family and the other inaugural season members that I sit with are not going to renew if we do not sign well in the off season and or if its a luke warm effort they will not be staying around to watch a fourth season of challenging for the spoon.

And I can no longer blame them. I pushed back hard against people who spat the dummy after one shocking year, I still pushed back after two years, but after 3 years with so many deflating and depressing experiences, it's just too much suffering for some people to reasonably expect them to continue spending their time and money on.

We need to be a force this year and renew ourselves and our supporters hope for the club. Even a battlers year will not be enough. I really do think MC could well see the club fall in around his ears if we do not spend with serious on field ambition in mind.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I think there is a lot of uninformed speculation going on here about Monty and Paolo not having a good relationship. Speculation is what this forum is all about but when people start talking about a clash of egos without a shred of evidence they are letting there imaginations run away with them.

If Paolo was feeling threatened by Monty's influence on the team he would not have kept him as captain, in fact he would have been on the first train out, a la Bosnar and Reddy.

I remember a previous coach who obviously did feel threatened actually dropping him (bloody idiot).

Wait for the smoke before yelling fire.